Container



y 30, 1967 R. A. FROEHLIG 3,322,328 I CONTAINER Filed Oct. 4, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i. E. INVENTOR. T a $0011 6 ffaf yug Amen/6y United States Patent Ofiiice 3,322,328 Patented May 30, 1967 3,322,328 CONTAINER Rudolph A. Froehlig, Little Neck, N.Y., assiguor to Modem Album and Finishing Inc, Coilege Point, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 492,690 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-68) The present invention relates to an improved container, such as a phonograph record holder, and more particularly to a reusable jacket for a phonograph record.

Phonograph record jackets comprise an outer jacket made of still board and a protective inner liner usually made of polyethylene which protects the photograph record during storage. During assembly the phonograph record is inserted within the inner liner and the liner is then sealed. In order to remove the phonograph record the user removes the inner liner from the outer jacket, tears open the liner along one edge and removes the phonograph record from the inner liner. The inner liner is then reinserted into the outer jacket until the user wants to store the phonograph record therein at which time the liner is removed and the record inserted therein and the whole assembly is inserted in the outer jacket.

It often occurs that the inner liner is damaged during the opening operation or is lost. Hence when the phonograph record is replaced in the outer jacket it is exposed to the inner surfaces of the stiff outer jacket and is sometimes damaged thereby.

Even when the liner is not lost, in order to re-use the liner it is necessary to first remove the liner from, place the record within the liner and then place the liner and the record within the outer jacket.

In order to avoid this, protective inner liners have been adhered to the inner surfaces of the outer jackets so that the inner liner permanently remains in place. However in such structures the inner liner is flush cut with the outer jacket, i.e. the inner liner terminates at the edges of the mouth of the outer liner. Hence the phonograph record is in danger of falling out. To avoid this the outer jacket is sometimes provided with an additional covering in order to prevent the record from being pilfered or from accidentally falling out in storage or shipment.

The present invention avoids these drawbacks and provides an improved phonograph record jacket in which the phonograph record may be sealed Within the inner liner and may be easily removed without removing the inner liner.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a phonograph record jacket in which the record can be easily removed therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved phonograph record jacket in which the danger of the inner liner being lost or destroyed is minimized.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved phonograph record jacket which can be easily reused by the consumer.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved phonograph record jacket which has a liner permanently secured thereto and from which a phonograph record may be easily removed.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a phonograph record jacket made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the manner in which the record may be removed from the jacket;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing position of the parts before assembly;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 7 showing the manner in which the record may be removed;

FIG. 9 is :a perspective view showing the position of the parts before the embodiment of FIG. 7 is assembled;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-40 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the present invention comprises a phonograph record album 1 having an outer jacket 2 comprising a pair of relatively stiff panels 3 and 4 which are closed at three ends and open along one edge to form a mouth 5. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the two panels 3 and 4 are integral with each other and are folded along a fold line 6. Flaps are provided on one of the panels, such as panel 4, which are bent inwardly and secured as by an adhesive to the edges of the other panel, i.e. panel 3 to complete the outer jacket as shown in FIG. 6.

An inner protective liner 10 is provided within the outer jacket 2 and is secured to the jacket in any suitable manner. This inner liner 11 may be made from a polyethylene material which may be transparent, opaque or colored. It will be understood that the liner 11 may be made of other materials, if desired. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the liner 10 comprises two panels 11 and 12 secured to the panels 3 and 4, respectively, by areas of adhesive 13 and 14, respectively, along the free edges of the panels 3 and 4 forming the mouth 5 of the outer jacket 2.

It will, of course, be understood that the liner 10 may be adhered to the outer jacket by suitable means such as adhesive areas 15 and 16 adjacent the fold line 6, either alone or together with adhesive areas 13 and 14, or the liner 10 may be adhered to the jacket 2 throughout its entire area.

With this structure a phonograph record P is inserted within the liner 10 through the mouth 5 of the jacket 2. When the phonograph record P is removed, the liner 10 is not disturbed but remains in place.

In order to seal the phonograph record P within the liner 1!), the ends 20 and 21 of the liner are sealed to each other as at 22 in any desired manner as by the heat seal, so that the phonograph record is sealed within the liner 10. However to facilitate removal of phonograph record 'P, the ends 20 and 22 extend beyond the free edges of the panels 3 and 4 and beyond the mount 5 of the outer jacket to form tear tabs. When the phonograph record P is to be removed, the tear tabs 20-21 are torn flush with the free edges of the jacket 2 (FIG. 2) to permit access to the phonograph record. To facilitate tearing of the tear tabs 20 and 21 perforations 22 and 23 are provided.

It will be seen that with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the phonograph record P is initially inserted within the jacket 2 and the inner liner 10 and thereafter seals the tear tabs 20-21 together. In this condition the phonograph record P is not only protected but cannot fall out or be stolen from the jacket. The user tears off the tear tabs 20-21 along the perforations 2223 and removes the record P from within the inner liner 10. He thus has a readily usable jacket 2 with a protective inner liner 10 therein which can be used over and over again without danger to the inner liner being torn, lost or crumbled.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 through 12 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. The phonograph record jacket 2 has a pair of panels 3 and 4 which are folded along a fold line 6 and are secured to each other by flaps 7 and 8 to form an open mouth at the front.

The inner liner 10 is made of a transparent polyethylene material and has panels 11 and 12 secured to panels 3 and 4 by areas of adhesive 13 and 14 adjacent the mouth 5 or by other adhesive areas 15 and 16 adjacent near fold line 6, or both. However, panel 11 of liner 10 is substantially flush cut with the edge of the panel 3 of the jacket 2 (i.e. it terminates at the edge of panel 3) and the other panel 12 extends beyond the edge of panel 14 to form a tuck-in flap 20. With this structure, the phonograph record P is inserted within the inner liner 10 and the tuck-in flap 20 is tucked in between the record P and the panel 3 (FIG. 10) to prevent the record from falling out.

In this embodiment the outer edges of the inner liner are not secured to each other as in the embodiment above, FIGS. 1 to 6, rather the tuck-in flap 20, is left loosely in tucked relationship as shown in FIG. 10. In order to obtain access to the phonograph record the user removes the tuck-in flap 20 and lifts out the record 1. The user will therefore have a readily usable phonograph record jacket with a protective inner liner 10 which can be re-used with little or no danger of loss or damage to the inner liner 10.

When he desires to replace the phonograph record P he inserts it within the irmer liner 10 and tucks in the flap 20 to protect the record.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an improved phonograph record album which has a permanently secured inner protective liner which cannot be removed from the outer jacket so that it cannot be lost or destroyed. Hence the user has a readily available jacket with a protective inner liner which can be used again and again without danger of loss or damage to the record owner.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A flat, thin container for phonograph records and the like comprising an outer jacket and an inner liner jacket mounted within the outer jacket and adhered thereto, said outer jacket comprising a pair of opposed flat, thin panels superimposed on each other and unattached to each other at one end to form an open mouth, said inner liner jacket comprising a pair of flat, thin inner panels superimposed on each other, each inner panel having an extending portion protruding out of the mouth of the outer jacket, the extending portions of the inner liner panels being sealed to each other and being tearable along a tear area to permit access to the interior of said inner jacket.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner liner panels are provided with perforations adjacent said open mouth to permit the extending portionsto be torn.

3. A flat, thin container for phonograph records and the like, comprising an outer jacket and an inner liner jacket mounted within the outer jacket and adhered thereto, said outer jacket comprising a pair of opposed, flat thin panels superimposed on each other and unattached to each other at one end to form an open month, said inner liner jacket comprising a pair of fiat, thin inner panels superimposed on each other, one of said inner panels having a portion extending out of the mouth of the outer jacket and adapted to be tucked into the mouth to close said mouth.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,189,431 2/ 1940 Moore. 2,536,529 1/ 1951 Bergstein. 3,047,205 7/ 1962 Southard.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,074,356 3/ 1954 France.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVID M. BOOKENEK, Examiner. 

1. A FLAT, THIN CONTAINER FOR PHONOGRAPH RECORDS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING AN OUTER JACKET AND AN INNER LINER JACKET MOUNTED WITHIN THE OUTER JACKET AND ADHERED THERETO, SAID OUTER JACKET COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED FLAT, THIN PANELS SUPERIMPOSED ON EACH OTHER AND UNATTACHED TO EACH OTHER AT ONE END TO FORM AN OPEN MOUTH, SAID INNER LINER JACKET COMPRISING A PAIR OF FLAT, THIN INNER PANELS SUPERIMPOSED ON EACH OTHER, EACH INNER PANEL HAVING AN EXTENDING PORTION PROTRUDING OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE OUTER JACKET, THE EXTENDING PORTIONS OF THE INNER LINER PANELS BEING SEALED TO EACH OTHER AND BEING TEARABLE ALONG A TEAR AREA TO PERMIT ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID INNER JACKET. 